Santa Pause: A Biblical Perspective of Santa Claus

by Justin Peters

Few things are more closely associated with Christmas than Santa Claus. Santa conjures up warm excitement among children and fond memories for adults. But for Christians, is the tradition of Santa Claus one they should observe? Is it really harmless fun for children on just one day of the year?In his book, Santa Pause, Justin Peters makes a compelling biblical argument that Christians should offer Santa no place in their Christmas traditions. Peters gives a surprising outline of the history of Santa and also demonstrates that he shares many of God's unique characteristics and attributes. Santa Pause is designed to help Christian parents think through the biblical implications of this familiar icon of Christmas.

Genres: Christian

29 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 1, 2021

Reviews

[Bobby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good resource; needs to be longer.

Santa Pause is a good resource for Christian parents and is a good discussion starter if they have young children. Peters articulates many of my thoughts on Santa Claus and I appreciated what he said. While I would have given this book a five star review or (if it were an option), a four-and-a-half star review, I felt that more could have been said on this topic. While Peters does state that he believes that Christian parents should not tell their kids about Santa, he does not discuss how Christmas without Santa looks like. Are there still presents? Should parents still show their kids Christmas movies (even those with Santa)? While he does state that if a parent decides to do Santa, that does not mean that they are not Christian, he does not discuss why (I.e., Christian liberties) In addition, I felt that discussion on Elf on the Shelf, Christmas trees, and the Puritan’s views on Christmas should have been discussed. Overall, I believe every Christian parent and parent-to-be should read this booklet and ponder the Biblical considerations of Santa Claus.

[Shaun Marksbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great little booklet on Santa. Peters, while obviously arguing against the continued promotion of Santa Claus as a figure of belief, does so with care and concern. He's never caustic or accusatory. He successfully demonstrates, though, that the mythos around Santa has become idolatrous. Parents should certainly be wary of ascribing the attributes of Christ to another, especially Christian parents doing so on a day to celebrate the advent of Christ. Recommended.

[Tom Horn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished a re-read of this. My original review is below:

I never really thought I'd end up in this position, but this book has me reconsidering making Santa a part of our family Christmas traditions.

I'd recommend this to any Christian parent. Even if you don't end up at the same conclusions as Peters, I would posit that his arguments are still important to consider.

I'm only giving it 4 stars because I wish it were longer. It is basically a pamphlet or article.

[Krystal Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this perspective of Santa Claus and thought everything in this book was both thought provoking and true. A must read for all Christians (and people in general).